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Wednesday 30 January 2013

GW/SW-041



Summit Information for 
GW/SW-041 Black Mountain - 703m, 6 points
Association: Wales  Region: South Wales   
Latitude: 52 0 30 N, Longitude: 3 5 12 W
Grid Reference: SO 255350, QTH Locator: IO82KA 

Post to follow.....









TimeCallsignBandModeNotes
12:10M6CNG144MHzFMGareth
12:15M0JLA144MHzFMRod
12:18M0IBC144MHzFMDave
12:19G3RMD144MHzFMFrank
12:20M6FOA144MHzFMVick
12:21G0ELJ144MHzFMDave
12:23G8ADD144MHzFMBrian
12:252E0PRF144MHzFMPaul
12:28M0WYB144MHzFMRuss
12:32G3SMT144MHzFMPeter
12:35G4PPC144MHzFMBrian
12:37M0MSW144MHzFMMark
12:38M0NTC144MHzFMGez
12:40G0GSH144MHzFMChris
12:42G4FAP144MHzFMRoger
12:45M3HNL144MHzFMJim
12:47M3PSF144MHzFMRob
12:49G0MKW144MHzFMTony
12:52M0SBF144MHzFMSteve
12:53G4GBP144MHzFMColin
12:55G8FWP144MHzFMPeter


















Tuesday 15 January 2013

GW/SW-001


Summit Information for GW/SW-001
Pen y Fan - 886m, 8 points
Association: Wales  Region: South Wales   
Latitude: 51 53 2 N, Longitude: 3 26 12 W
Grid Reference: SO 012216, QTH Locator: IO81GV



Following some overnight snow, I woke to a clear sunny day and decider it was too good an opportunity to miss for an activation.  I quickly bundled  the kit in the Jeep and headed for Pen Y Fan.
There is ample parking at SN987 199, but arrive early as this is a very popular walk.  From here there is a good path all the way to the summit but it gets very slippery in winter so go prepared.  The path levels out at SO 006 210 and from here you can either continue straight on to Pen Y Fan or go left up to the summit of Corn Du and then on to Pen Y fan.
At the summit conditions were amazing, it was mild with just a light breeze and visibility was the best I have ever encountered from here.
I set up for VHF and had a very enjoyable activation including a summit to summit with Rod and Viki on GW/SW-011
Many thanks to all stations that assisted with my activation of Pen Y Fan and made this an very enjoyable day.
73
Mal (GW6OVD)


Corn Du viewed from Pen Y Fan

Making myself at home at the summit

The mist started to roll in around 13.00



TimeCallsignBandModeNotesDelete
12:00GW0UHO144MHzFMPeterDelete
12:20MW1AND144MHzFMMelDelete
12:22G0VFK144MHzFMMikeDelete
12:24M0WYB144MHzFMRusDelete
12:26M0FOA144MHzFMMickyDelete
12:27G4WTF144MHzFMIanDelete
12:28MW6BWA144MHzFMVikiDelete
12:29G3SR144MHzFMRickDelete
12:30G0RQL144MHzFMDonDelete
12:33MW0JLA144MHzFMRodDelete
12:38M3YYK144MHzFMKeithDelete
12:42G0NES144MHzFMDonDelete
12:45M6NHK144MHzFMNickDelete
12:47MW0TOX144MHzFMBazDelete
12:55M6BJL144MHzFMMikeDelete
13:02G4EBL144MHzFMRalphDelete
13:052W0MCB144MHzFMMikeDelete

Saturday 12 January 2013

GW/SW010


Craig y Llyn - 600m, 4 points
Association: Wales  Region: South Wales   
Latitude: 51 43 0 N, Longitude: 3 35 0 W
Grid Reference: SN 907032, QTH Locator: IO81FR  

For this activation Andy GW7RKC, Phil MW0PJJ and Ian who is a foundation student met up at the starting point at SN 921 024 where there is parking for 5 or 6 cars, and started making their way towards the summit.  
I arrived around 45 minutes later as I had just completed a long night shift and needed to grab a couple of hours sleep.  
The assent to Craig Y Llyn is very straightforward by this route with a forestry track all the way and just 115m to climb making it ideal for a bad weather activation.  
There is now a manned security barrier a couple of hundred meters from the main entrance due to the construction work that has just started.  They are building a new wind farm that will soon dominate the skyline so beware of  construction traffic. 
The track then goes around to the right past the construction compound and on to within 100 meters of the summit.  
The summit itself is hidden in the trees and very ease to miss, so watch out for the memorial on the left of the track as this is where you need to turn right.  
At the time of writing there was a fallen tree across the entrance making it even harder to spot.
The activation  itself was successful if a little disappointing with very few VHF stations heard. 
The weather on top was very cold with intermittent snow showers making operating a little challenging and it wasn't long before we all decided it was time to get back to the cars for a nice hot cup of tea.
Many thanks to all stations that helped with our activation of 
SW-010 Craig Y Llyn 

73

Mal  GW6OVD













GPS Track Log


TimeCallBandModeNotes
12:21zMW6TBU144MHzFMMal
12:24zGW4SXA144MHzFMPaul
12:26zMW6GNA144MHzFMAngela
12:28zMW0TOX144MHzFMBaz
12:36zMC0TTR144MHzFMIan
12:42zMW0UAA144MHzFMDave
12:45zMW6ZOL144MHzFMBeccy



For more photos of Craig Y Liyn click here















































Monday 7 January 2013

GW/SW-005



Summit Information for GW/SW-005

Fan Fawr - 734m, 6 points



Association: Wales  Region: South Wales   

Latitude: 51 51 45 N, Longitude: 3 29 49 W

Grid Reference: SN 970193, QTH Locator: IO81GU 







Car park at starting point SN 982 203 (Storie Arms)


I arrived at the Storey Arms car park at around 0930 and headed south west until I picked up the foot path at SN 974 196.  Nice and firm under foot, except for one small area around half way.  The path rises steeply from here, then eases off again as you approach the summit where there is a small cairn.  
WX on top was better than expected with a light breeze yet visibility was down to 50m.
I set up a small mast on a tripod for the first time, but it seemed a unstable at first. 
 I hung an bag  beneath it and added a few rocks which made all the difference.


It seemed very quiet on 2m and I only had 9 contacts in the hour or so I spent there but as 
I had good reports back from all stations I'm happy all the kit was working as it should. 


As visibility started to decrease by this tine  I decided to start making my way back down to Storey Arms
Many thaks to all thoes who helped with my activation of Wayn Fach GW/SW 005
73 Mal GW6OVD



TimeCallBandModeNotes
10:43zMW0TOX144MHzFMBaz
10:52zG4KPM144MHzFMMalcolm
11:01zGW6DGU144MHzFMRoy
11:09zGW0IRT144MHzFMPhil
11:24zG4STH144MHzFMTim
11:29zMW0CXH144MHzFMPeter
11:35z2W0MCB144MHzFMMike
11:35zM0JLA144MHzFMRod
11:42zG0KDY144MHzFMAdam

Saturday 5 January 2013

GW/SW003

Fan Brycheiniog - 802m, 8 points

Association: Wales  Region: South Wales  
Latitude: 51 52 56 N, Longitude: 3 42 30 W
Grid Reference: SN 825218, Locator: IO81DV 







Left to right - Mal (GW6OVD), Andy (GW7RKC) & Phil (MW0PJJ)
For the weekend of the 5th of January, Aberdare Amateur Radio Society SOTA group decided to activate South Wales summit SW-003 Fan Brycheiniog. This particular summit is located to toward the West side of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The group met at Aberdare and consisted of Mal (GW6OVD) , Phil (MW0PJJ) , Ian (Foundation Student) and Myself - Andy (GW7RKC). We drove towards our start point at SN 85288 21765 arriving just before 10:00, there we found a small area with enough parking for around 4 vehicles. 







Mal & Phil Forge Ahead!
 We wasted no time in getting our kit together and headed roughly East toward the summit. After crossing a stream the trail started  to steepen and in places was very boggy underfoot, this remained the case for most of the hike.











Soon the mist began to descend and completely obscured the view of the vehicle we had left behind.  Our first objective was to get to Llyn y Fan Fawr which was at the foot of Fan Brycheinog, this we managed in about an hour , covering around 2.3 km. The Llyn was quite beautiful in an eerie sort of way with the mist rolling across it and small waves being created by the wind. We took a few minutes to enjoy the view and a few refreshments before the final push up the mountain!



Llyn y Fan Fawr









At this point we still had around 1km to go, and the trail began to get very steep as we progressed up the mountain.





















As is often the case, as we neared the summit the wind became quite strong and care was needed as there are some quite dangerous drops at the trail edge.
















It's A Long Way Down



The picture to the right shows one of the rather intimidating drops at the trail edge!


















Phil modelling the latest in Neck-wear!


Mal & Ian arrived at the summit first and managed to assemble the equipment before Phil and I got there. A cylindrical stone shelter provided some respite from the cold wind.












By mid-day the station was underway and doing fine business with plenty of QSO's rolling in and we all managed to get our activation in no time. One particularly noteworthy aspect of this activation was the number of summit to summit QSO's with one of our group achieving 5! Part way through we were joined by around 4 or 5 hikers who also wanted to shelter from the wind. They seemed interested in what we were doing and Phil chatted to them about SOTA and amateur  radio.






By around 1.30 we had all bagged plenty of QSO’s and were starting to get a bit cold so we packed up the equipment and assembled at the nearby Trig-Point for a final photo before beginning the trek back.


 

Left to right - Mal (GW6OVD) , Phil (MW0PJJ) and Andy (GW7RKC)






Back at the car our efforts were rewarded by Phil making one of his legendary brews !






Time for a brew!





Many thanks to all the stations calling in and making this activation a success!

73

Andy - GW7RKC













GPS Track-log

Wednesday 2 January 2013

2012 Activation Totals




Unique Summits Activated by GW7RKC

NumberSummit NameNumber of
Activations
Date of First
Activation
1GW/SW-004 (Waun Rydd)112/Feb/2012
2GW/SW-008 (Cefn yr Ystrad)119/Feb/2012
3GW/SW-009 (Mynydd Troed)125/Feb/2012
4GW/SW-034 (Garth Hill)103/Mar/2012
5GW/SW-006 (Fan Gyhirych)117/Mar/2012
6GW/SW-007 (Fan Nedd)117/Mar/2012
7GW/SW-040 (Mynydd Dinas)131/Mar/2012
8GW/SW-029 (Foel Fynyddau)131/Mar/2012
9GW/MW-001 (Plynlimon-Pen Pumlumon Fawr)126/May/2012
10GW/MW-002 (Great Rhos)107/Jul/2012
11GW/MW-003 (Drygarn Fawr)115/Jul/2012
12GW/SW-024 (Mynydd y Lan)122/Sep/2012
13GW/SW-027 (Mynydd y Glyn)103/Nov/2012
14GW/SW-016 (Ysgyryd Fawr)110/Nov/2012
15GW/SW-020 (Graig Syfyrddin)110/Nov/2012
16GW/SW-002 (Waun Fach)130/Dec/2012
17GW/SW-010 (Craig y Llyn)131/Dec/2012



Unique Summits Activated by MW0PJJ

NumberSummit NameNumber of
Activations
Date of First
Activation
1GW/SW-010 (Craig y Llyn)128/Jan/2012
2GW/SW-025 (Cefn Eglwysilan)104/Feb/2012
3GW/SW-004 (Waun Rydd)112/Feb/2012
4GW/SW-008 (Cefn yr Ystrad)119/Feb/2012
5GW/SW-009 (Mynydd Troed)125/Feb/2012
6GW/SW-034 (Garth Hill)103/Mar/2012
7GW/SW-001 (Pen y Fan)110/Mar/2012
8GW/SW-007 (Fan Nedd)117/Mar/2012
9GW/SW-011 (Sugar Loaf)124/Mar/2012
10GW/SW-029 (Foel Fynyddau)131/Mar/2012
11GW/SW-040 (Mynydd Dinas)131/Mar/2012
12GW/SW-014 (Mynydd Carn-y-cefn)108/Apr/2012
13GW/SW-037 (Craig yr Allt)105/May/2012
14GW/SW-012 (Coity Mountain)112/May/2012
15GW/SW-013 (Tor y Foel)119/May/2012
16GW/SW-028 (Mynydd y Betws)109/Jun/2012
17GW/SW-015 (Mynydd Llangorse)121/Jul/2012
18GW/MW-004 (Pen y Garn)116/Aug/2012
19GW/SW-018 (Mynydd Eppynt)101/Sep/2012
20GW/SW-036 (Mynydd Sylen)108/Sep/2012
21GW/SW-039 (Mynydd Llangyndeyrn)108/Sep/2012
22GW/SW-033 (Wentwood)115/Sep/2012
23GW/SW-024 (Mynydd y Lan)122/Sep/2012
24GW/SW-038 (Mynydd Drumau)120/Oct/2012
25GW/SW-030 (Mynydd Machen)127/Oct/2012
26GW/SW-027 (Mynydd y Glyn)103/Nov/2012
27GW/SW-020 (Graig Syfyrddin)110/Nov/2012
28GW/SW-016 (Ysgyryd Fawr)110/Nov/2012
Unique Summits Activated by GW6OVD

NumberSummit NameNumber of
Activations
Date of First
Activation
1GW/SW-010 (Craig y Llyn)128/Jan/2012
2GW/SW-025 (Cefn Eglwysilan)104/Feb/2012
3GW/SW-004 (Waun Rydd)112/Feb/2012
4GW/SW-008 (Cefn yr Ystrad)119/Feb/2012
5GW/SW-009 (Mynydd Troed)125/Feb/2012
6GW/SW-003 (Fan Brycheiniog)101/Mar/2012
7GW/SW-001 (Pen y Fan)109/Mar/2012
8GW/SW-006 (Fan Gyhirych)117/Mar/2012
9GW/SW-007 (Fan Nedd)117/Mar/2012
10GW/SW-011 (Sugar Loaf)124/Mar/2012
11GW/SW-029 (Foel Fynyddau)131/Mar/2012
12GW/SW-040 (Mynydd Dinas)131/Mar/2012
13GW/SW-014 (Mynydd Carn-y-cefn)108/Apr/2012
14GW/SW-037 (Craig yr Allt)105/May/2012
15GW/SW-012 (Coity Mountain)112/May/2012
16GW/SW-013 (Tor y Foel)119/May/2012
17GW/MW-001 (Plynlimon-Pen Pumlumon Fawr)126/May/2012
18GW/SW-028 (Mynydd y Betws)129/May/2012
19GW/SW-017 (Hirfynydd)119/Jun/2012
20GW/SW-019 (Mynydd Twyn-glas)130/Jun/2012
21GW/MW-002 (Great Rhos)107/Jul/2012
22GW/MW-003 (Drygarn Fawr)115/Jul/2012
23GW/SW-015 (Mynydd Llangorse)121/Jul/2012
24GW/MW-004 (Pen y Garn)116/Aug/2012
25GW/SW-021 (Mynydd Marchywel)130/Aug/2012
26GW/SW-018 (Mynydd Eppynt)101/Sep/2012
27GW/SW-034 (Garth Hill)106/Sep/2012
28GW/SW-036 (Mynydd Sylen)108/Sep/2012
29GW/SW-039 (Mynydd Llangyndeyrn)108/Sep/2012
30GW/SW-033 (Wentwood)115/Sep/2012
31GW/SW-024 (Mynydd y Lan)122/Sep/2012
32GW/SW-038 (Mynydd Drumau)120/Oct/2012
33GW/SW-031 (Mynydd Uchaf)125/Oct/2012
34GW/SW-030 (Mynydd Machen)127/Oct/2012
35GW/SW-027 (Mynydd y Glyn)103/Nov/2012
36GW/SW-016 (Ysgyryd Fawr)110/Nov/2012
37GW/SW-020 (Graig Syfyrddin)110/Nov/2012
38GW/SW-023 (Allt yr Esgair)118/Nov/2012
39GW/SW-005 (Fan Fawr)106/Dec/2012
40GW/SW-041 (Black Mountain)123/Dec/2012
41GW/SW-002 (Waun Fach)130/Dec/2012

Total Activator Points
 
PositionActivator
Callsign
SummitsPointsSeasonal
Bonus
Total
Score
Avg. points per
Expedition
View
Log
1GW4BVE485168037220524.23View
2MW0IDX235105524312985.52View
3MW0YLS220100812011285.13View
4GW0VMW1997841959794.92View
5MW0IML2206172708874.03View
6GW8OGI1906041807844.13View
7MW0ECX80417905076.34View
8GW0DSP256381604411.72View
9MW3NYR92310994094.45View
10GW3GUX53322453676.92View
112W0GDA53259392985.62View
12GW7KXV51273182915.71View
13GW0TQM63185542393.79View
142W0CYM72191242152.99View
152W0UPT47146451914.06View
16GW7AAV80127361632.04View
17GW4GTE30115361515.03View
18GW6OVD41113271403.41View
19MW0UPH4698331312.85View
20GW7AAU5986181041.76View
21GW4HDR11926988.91View
22GW4EVX924742890.97View
23MW3SBH9729819.00View
24MW0PJJ286015752.68View
25GW7RKC175715724.24View